A/N: Last drabble in the series. For this one, I decided to use the actual reason behind Grant being HYDRA, as said in his conversation with Raina in episode 18.
Garrett got him away from his toxic family. Garrett is the reason he became a specialist. He gave him a purpose. He gave him a faceless target to pound his fists into and to blindly fire off bullet after bullet into. Ward owes Garrett everything.
As he marches towards the inevitable bloodbath that will soon take place, he thinks of the numbers. Thousands of SHIELD agents will die. Thousands of HYDRA agents will more than likely die as well. He and Garrett won't be killed. They're too good at not dying.
Chances are, people he once worked with, acquaintances, will die as well. He won't mourn them.
Still, he tries to halt the thoughts forcing their way into his head about the death toll. He doesn't want to know the fallout. All Grant Douglas Ward knows is how to survive, how to fight. And so he will survive, and fight, until one side is the victor and the other is nothing more than limp, lifeless bodies, piling up and painted with red.
He is a soldier, awaiting commands from his superior. He is a drone, waiting for the programming to update and for any viruses to be weeded out. He is a man with a debt to pay and only one form of payment to use.
He was broken, and nearly unfixable, until Garrett found him. He was hollowed out and filled with unfocused rage. He raged at everything, and everyone. Garrett gave him a target.
His wires spray sparks every now and again. His circuits burst and need replacing. His fists become unhinged and his eyes lose visual.
But Garrett fixes him up. He reminds him of who he was. Ward does not want to be that boy again.
He is a soldier, awaiting commands from his superior.